Responses and Replies Filed in State Court

Memorandums, responses and replies have been filed as requested by Judge Edgar Dickson in the 1st Judicial Circuit, and all parties now await a hearing date on how the court will proceed with implementing the South Carolina Supreme Court decision on church properties.

The latest documents, filed on October 12 by The Episcopal Church and The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, ask the court to move forward with giving control of diocesan property and the property of 29 parishes to The Episcopal Church, as the Supreme Court decided in August 2017, remitting its decision to the 1st Judicial Circuit to be implemented.

“This Court has jurisdiction upon remittitur to enforce the mandate of the South Carolina Supreme Court, not to unravel it,” according to the Omnibus Reply Brief filed by TEC and TECSC.

The legal filings also note that the breakaway group now acknowledges “they have repudiated their roles as trustees” in their Opposition to Motion to Dismiss the Betterment Action.

In September, Judge Dickson notified attorneys that he plans to hear all motions and petitions during the weeks of October 22 and 29. A specific hearing date has not yet been assigned.

In preparation for the hearing, the judge asked parties to file memorandums by September 24, which they did.  Next were responses to those memorandums, which were filed earlier in October as follows:  

Plaintiff’s Response in Opposition – Petition for an Accounting
Plaintif’s Response in Opposition – Petition for Execution
Plaintiff’s Response in Opposition – Motion to Dismiss
TECSC Brief in Opposition – Complex Case Designation
TECSC Brief in Opposition – Motion for Clarification & Further Relief

Replies to the response briefs were filed as follows: 
Plaintiff’s Reply – Motion for Clarification & Further Relief
TECSC Omnibus Reply Brief – Petitions for Enforcement, Accounting, and Motion to Dismiss